Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-06-04
CREMATION IN ALASKA.
Curious Customs that Follow Death
Why the Bodies Burn Well.

Having had information theother dav of
cremation to take place at the Indian
village, went to the beach to witness it.
The defunct siwash was known around
juneau as Frank. and was formerly en-
ployed at Martin Bros store in the capacity
of Indian clerk and the HICKMAN lit be-
ing double cremation of one of each sexl
had been called Jennie, both, as it hap
pened, having died of consumption. The
mourning service consisted of the ancient
ceremony known as "potlatch,n which is
always customary among the Indians of
southeastern Alaska on the occasion of
death of one OF their number The rot.
latch is Il division of whatever temporal
goods the deceased may have possessed
such as blankets, dry goods, etc among his
or her relations, according as the merits of
each individual case may justify.
In the services of the mourning, which
are very long, and TO the Indian mind very
impressive, the first in the order of the day
is enlogistic discourse by one of the old
men, which being delivered by him in
sections, so to speak. is taken up and sung
by the rest in monotonous sort of chant !:
the old man is then superseded by another
venerable buck, who goes through the same
service, and he in turn by another, until
all the old men have had their individual
say. The chanters keep time by humping
the floor with sticks and beating on drum.
This performance being gone over for day
or two. the potlatch takes place
The body of the deceased is first wrapped
in mating woven from split roots aud in
appearance resembling coarse straw. They
then convey the body TO the place of Gre
nation, which is always on the beach at
high-water mark. On this occasion they
had on hand for the purpose of burning
the two bodies about one cord of wood.
some split and some in small logs. First a
platform of small logs is laid a foot from
the ground, with space of four inches be-
tween each log. On this pyre which was
about seven feet long by five feet wide, the
two bodies were placed about three feet
apart, and around them q miniature log
hut was built to hight of four feet the
inclosed space is then carefully filed in
with split wood and fine kindling, and now,
everything being in readiness, the fire is
lighted from the bottom. The native diet
being chiefly salmon, an oily substance,
the bodies of the Indians seem to contain
considerable amount of oil, as they burn
very readily. While the corpses were char
ring. the friends of the deceased continued
TO poke them with long sticks, occasionally
raklng the fragments of burnt flesh from
the fire and wrapping them in skins, blan-
kets, etc. Returning from the cremation of
the two natives. ] heard singing in a native
house, and dropped in TO see what was 60
ing on.
There was quite an assemblage Of natives
squatted around small fire in the center
of the room, and at one end of the house
the corpse of an old women lay, covered
with sheets and blankets All round the
room wss strung up muslin, pieces of
calico, and few blankets; also, three UNI
brellas, ETC., all of which will be distrib-
uted among the relatives and near friends
Then the process described above will be
gone through.-AtdSkd Free Press.